After last weeks runs it was suggested that I get my drive angle down. So I built a wire drive.

I’ve been researching these for a while but didn’t really grasp the concept till Easy Rider set me straight.

However, Easy’s set-up posed several challenges for me :
1. The external bend would have set my prop back to @4.5”; a bit far on a 15” boat
2. My rudder stand-off would have to be beefed up to serve as a strut support
3. I’d have to build a strut and all that stuff

From Easy’s pic it was clear that all you need to do is to support the drive at both ends and provide a frictionless path for the drive wire. Excuse me if this seems obvious, but it took me a while to get my head round it …

So I went the K.I.S.S. route … I just built a bent stuffing tube, 5 degree deflection and straight at both ends. The motor end of the drive has a 1/8” shaft that connects to the coupler and sticks about 1/4” into the stuffing tube. The prop end has a 2.25” long 1/8” shaft that rides in a straight section of the stuffing tube. The tube bend matches the bend required by the wire so effectively the wire is floating in space .. and a bit of grease… just in case.

The shafts are just standard 1/8” Dumas stock with a 1/16” hole drilled through. The wire is steel welding rod and is bonded to the shafts with “Permatex” sleeve retainer … couldn’t find Loctite 603.

The only thing in contact with the stuffing tube is @ 3” of 1/8” shaft so it rolls smoother than the original solid shaft.

After the runs today, I pulled it down and it’s apparent that the wire is running free and smooth. The welding rod has a bronze finish on it that’s easy to sand off …. I sanded both ends before bonding. Anyway the centre / bend section of the wire still has the coating on it.

Unfortunately, this drive is fixed but hey …it’s my second boat!


http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x...urrent=key.jpg

http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x...rent=angle.jpg

http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x...rent=drive.jpg


Oh .. how did it run? Chalk and cheese .. this is a different boat! I get a bit of porpoising at about 1/2 throttle, but the solution .... just go faster, then she settles down completely. I’m still using the trim tabs, but ever so slightly. She’ll do full throttle without them but that’s iffy; she starts riding on the prop and chine walking .. fun to watch.

What’s next …. maybe 9 cells. balance the prop, sand the bottom.

Actually I need a new pond, I thought this one was ok but I can’t run full out for more than 7secs … just when every things have aired out and settled down.

Don’t know when I can get video…..